On January 18, in the squad selection meeting for the 2025 Champions Trophy, Rohit Sharma confirmed his availability for Mumbai's Ranji Trophy match against Jammu and Kashmir on January 23. During the press conference, the ODI captain was asked about his participation, to which he said, “I will (play)." Rohit Sharma, widely regarded as one of the finest batters of the modern era in Indian cricket, last participated in a Ranji Trophy match back in November 2015. He clarified that the primary reason Indian players often miss domestic games is the need to recover from the rigorous demands of a packed international schedule. He said, “Last 6-7 years, if you look at our calendar, we haven’t been sitting home for 45 days when cricket is going on. You do get time when IPL finishes when nothing happens after that. Our domestic season begins in October, ends till March. Guys who are not playing all formats and when there’s domestic cricket happening, they can play. For me personally, Since I’ve started playing Test cricket regularly since 2019, you hardly get time. When you play international cricket regularly, you need time off, just to refresh. Nobody takes it for granted." Read also: Virat Kohli, KL Rahul Miss Ranji Trophy Amid Injury Concerns Rohit to Lead CT 2025 The BCCI has announced India's squad for the Champions Trophy 2025, with Rohit Sharma continuing as captain and Shubman Gill as vice captain. The team welcomes back Shreyas Iyer and Kuldeep Yadav. Chief selector Ajit Agarkar confirmed Rishabh Pant as the primary wicketkeeper. Despite fitness concerns, Jasprit Bumrah is included in the provisional squad, though Harshit Rana will replace him for the ODI series against England. Mohammad Shami returns after 14 months, while Yashasvi Jaiswal earns a call-up for both series. However, Karun Nair misses out despite an outstanding Vijay Hazare Trophy. India plans to take only three pacers to the UAE for the Champions Trophy, with Arshdeep Singh selected over Mohammad Siraj. India squad for the Champions Trophy 2025: Rohit Sharma (C), Shubman Gill (VC), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammad Shami, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rishabh Pant (wk), Ravindra Jadeja. *Harshit Rana will play in the ODI series against England, keeping Jasprit Bumrah's fitness concern.